Method of steering tow-boats and tows



(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D. A. MCDONALD.

METHOD OF STEERING TOW BOATS AND TOWS.

Patented Mar. 14

N, PETERs. Phu lplmmgrnphcn washin e UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E, V

DON AL D A. MCDONALD, OF LA GR( )SSE, VVISGONSIN.'

METHC )D OF STEERING TOW-BOATS AND TOWS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 254,995, dated March 14, 1882.

Application filed January l4, 1882. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DONALD A. MCDONALD, of La Crosse, in the county of La Grosse and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented certain Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Propelling Water-Graft, of which the followin g is a specification.

My invention relates to guiding or moving boats, barges, floats,rafts, and other craft; and it consists in a novel plan of connecting the tow or propelling boat to-the craft, whereby the direction of the whole may be quickly and per fectly controlled, thus permitting. short turns to be made with great facility and certainty,

. The invention further consists in providing the bow of the boat with a roller, by which it is enabled to move readily from side to side while bearing against the craft, and with a capstan, windlassforother mechanism for wind ing on and off a cable for effctingsuhh movement.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a fleet of barges propelled by a boat connected according to my improved plan; Figs. 2 and 3, plan views of the same, showing the movements of the propelling-boat; and Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7, views illustrating details of construction.

Hitherto it has been customary either to draw the boats or barges after the tug or tow boat or to push them before the same, the boats or barges and the towing or propelling boatbeing lashed together. It is to the latter plan that my invention particularly relates. In practice it is found a matter of great difflculty under this last-mentioned plan to make the short turns required by many of the streams of thecoun try, and particularly in windy weather, when the wind, acting upon the entire craft, including the pro pellin g-boat, th rows the same around against the force ofthe latter, thus often causing great delayand consequent loss. This difflculty, together with the comparatively small effect of the rudders of the. propellingboat when the latter is lashed rigidly to the barges or boats of the raft or fleet, has rendered it necessary to materially reduce the length of the fleets, while the limit in width is soon reached, either by reason of the narrow width of stream or by the resistance offered at the front of the fleet.

being made fast to the rear end of the same at the middle, and the propelling-boat being free to swing about said point of attachment as a center. While being in many respects an improvement upon the former plan oflashing the propelling-boat rigidlyto the raft, this plan is objectionable, because of the width of stream required, the propelling-boat often swinging out past the sides of the raft or float in turning the same, and requiring great power to move it to the required angle.

It has also been proposed to make up along train of boats or barges having respectively concave and convex ends, in order to form in eEect a long articulate orjointed boat or craft capable of winding through irregular water ways or making turns which could not be made by a rigid craft of equal or approximate length. Ithas also been proposed to couple canal'hoats together in a similar manner, and thus to make one boat steer another, the boats being, however, drawn instead of pushed.

By my plan I am enabled to make the fleet, raft, float, or other craft much longer than heretofore without necessarily reducing its width, thus, while being able to perfectly manage and control the same, materially adding to its size.

float, raft, or fleet that it may be swung about its own center and caused to bear at either side of the medial line of the craft, and consequently to act not only with the usual force of; its propelling machinery,but to act atone side The essential feature of my invention con sistsin so connecting the propelling-boat to the t the entire craft bodily sidewise or from one end. This result may be attained in a variety of ways differing in detail but the same in principle; but in practice the plan shown in the drawings, an d now to be described, is preferred. Referring to the drawings, A represents a propelling-boat, and B a fleet, raft, float, or

craft to be propeiled,which in the drawingsis represented as a fleet of barges, firmly lashed or secured together in the ordinary manner, except that instead of extending back of the bow of the propelling-boat at the sides of the same the sterns of the barges or other craft are, by preference, arranged on line with the stem or bow thereof, which bears against the stern of the craft at the middle.

Coal-barges and many other forms of craft are built with squaresterns or ends, as shown in the drawings,so that when lashed together they present a straight or plane face at right angles to the length of the craft; but where the stern is built to a model, or is other than of square form, a frame or timber may be secured upon the stern to afford a straight or plane surface, against which the bow or stem of the propelling-boat may bear, and along which it may move or travel, as presentlyexplained. The straight or plane bearingsurface being thus secured,the propelling-boat is brought into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, its stem or how bearing directly against the stern or the plane surface a at the middle or approximate point. Gables or lines O are then carried from points g h on opposite sides of said pointormiddle,andequidistanttherefrom, to and around kevels D on the propelling-boat A, passing thence to a winding-drum operated by a small winding-engine or made fast, as desired.

By referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the cables 0 are carried in lines which, if extended, would cross or intersect each other at or near the center of the propelling-boat A, so that it said boat be thrown to one or the other side it will swing or turn aboutitscenter, asindicated by the dotted lines in said figure. It will also be seen that in thus swinging about its center the boat A will have its bow or stem held closely against the rear of the craft B or against the plane surface a,upon which it travels when the boat turns. The importance of having the boatAthus turn upon its center is very great first, because a much greater leverage is secured to effect the turning; secondly, because in turning upon its center the bow or stem of the boat is caused to move to one side of the medial or central line of the craft B,thuseausing said craft also to swing or turn about its center, by which means great leverageis again secured for turning the craft, and the turning is effected in far less space than where the craft is moved from one end; and, finally, because the craft and the propelling-boat in thus turning upon their centers are assisted by the wind in turning to the same extent precisely as they are retarded, or, in other words, one half moving forward toward the wind and the other half therefrom, the force of the wind on one half is neutralized by the force thereof actingon the other half.

It will thus be seen that a fleet or craft of double the length and of the same width of the usual fleets can be turned in the same space as the ordinary craft, propelled and manipulated in the usual way. In practiceI prefer, however, to reduce the width of the fleet, raft, or float, in order to pass readily through narrower places than can be done with the wider craft, and in order to reduce the resistance at the front of the craft, it being apparent that, the water displaced atthe front, the following boats or barges will follow readily in their wake, and as the resistance or displacement is in proportion to the width of the craft or fleet a material saving in power required to propel the same is secured by such reduction in width.

In some cases it may be desirable to provide a frame for attaching to the rear of the propelled craft, having a face curved on the arc of a circle struck from the center of the propelling-boat, so that in swinging about its center said propelling-boat shall not be moved in the direction of its length, as of course it will be when a straight bearing-surface is employed.

In order that the bow or stem of the propelling'boat may move freely from side to side of its normal hearing on the surface a, a vertical roller, b, is placed on the front of the stem or how, as shown, or two or more such rollers, as may be found necessary to suit different heights of craft or different loading thereof. By preference I employ a single roller, as shown in Fig. 6; but provide an elongated shaft or axle therefor, and two or more seats or sets of hearings, in either or any of which the rollermay be placed, as required, by simply withdrawing the shaft, placing the roller in position, and again inserting the shaft. This will be readily understood by referring to Fig. 6, in which E represents the shaft 'or axle, which may beheaded and passed through eyes or blocks 0, secured upon the stem or supported by a socket-piece or step, d, at its lower end, as shown; and 1) represents the roller, as before stated. In order to afford a proper range of adjustment of the roller, the stem F of the boat is or may be extended above the deck, as shown in Fig. 6, and suitably braced by knees or timbers, as shown.

For the purpose of moving or swinging the propelling-boat A about its center I provide, by preference, a capstan or Windlass, G, about which is carried a hawser or cable, H, attached at opposite ends to the fleet or craft B, at opposite sides of the center or normal point of bearing of the boat A. The hawser or cable is wound a suitable number of turns upon the capstan, which, being rotated, will carry the bow of boat A to one or the other side, according to the direction of such rotation. In practice I prefer to carry the hawser or cable through hawse holes or openings 0, furnished at each side with sheaves f, in order to make the line of draft as nearly in line with the bow ofthe boatand the bearing-face a as practicable.

Instead of the capstan and hawser or cable, it is apparent that a rack and pinion may be employed for effecting the movement of the boat, as shown in Fig. 7; and this, too, whether the bearing-surface be straight or curved.

If necessary, a small engine may be employed ICC for effecting the movement of the boat about its center, and in any case suitable gearing may be employed to give the necessary power.

A brake will also be provided by which to hold the boat at any desired position or angle, being either in the form of a pawl or lookingdog, to prevent the turning of the Windlass or capstan, or a clamp applied to the hawser or cable to prevent its movement or the movement of the boat in'relation thereto.

It is apparent that the manner of making fasttheeables or hawsers, the details of mounting the roller, the mechanism for moving the boat, and other details may be varied considerably without departing from the limits of my invention.

In case of accident to the mechanism described for moving the boat A about its center, or of its being desirable from any cause to do so, the cables 0 may be employed for that purose bein simultaneous] wound in at one side and payed out at the other.

It will be seen that good results can be secured,even though the boat does not turn about its exact center; but the nearer the center the easier will be the turning and the more efficient the action. By this planit will be seen thatI am enabled to move the craft and propellingboat to and from a landing with great ease and precision, the boat and its rudders being set in proper relative positions, and the current of water thrown against the rudders by the backing of the wheel tending to move the stern to one side.

It will be understood that the foregoing de-- scription contemplates theemploymentofsternwheel boats, which are almost exclusively employed in this class of trade; but I do not conline myself to the use thereof.

I am aware that a vertical roller or a series of such rollers has been applied to the bow of a vessel to break theeffect of a collision, and therefore I do not claim such roller broadly; but I am not aware that such roller has been applied to a boat in combination with mechanism for shifting the bow thereof while in contact with a propelled craft.

I am also aware that a capstan and cable have been used for turning or guiding boats, and do not claim such mechanisimper .se.

Havingdescribed my inventionnvhat Iclaim 1. The method substantially as herein set forth of guiding water-craft propelled by a boat in rear thereof, consisting in shifting or moving the point of bearing of the propelling-boat to one or the other side of the medial line of the propelled craft and turning the propellingboat about its approximate center.

2. In combination with a raft, float, or other craft, apropellin g boat beari n g against the rear of the craft and connected therewith, substantially as shown and described, whereby the bearing-point-of the propelling-boat may be moved either side of the normal bearing-point and the propelling-boat turned about its approximate center, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with a raft, float, orother' craft, a propelling-boat connected therewith,

substantially as shown and described, and

adapted to swing or turn about its approximate center, a capstan or winding drum mounted upon the propellingboat, and a cable or hawser wound upon said capstan, and having its ends secured to the propellingoraft at opposite sides of the center, substantially as explained, whereby the point'of application of the propelling-power may be shifted to one or the other side of the medial line of the propelled craft.

4. In combination with craft B, boat A, cables O, capstan G, and hawser H, altar-ranged and operating substantially as explained, whereby the operation of the windlass is caused to shift the point of bearing to one side of the medial line of the propelled craft.

5. A boat for propelling and guiding rafts, floats, and other craft, provided with one or more vertical rollers at its bow, whereby the bow is adapted to move freely along the stern of the craft, in combination with mechanism. substantially such as described, for shifting the bow of the boat, as explained.

6. In combination with a boat having eyes or bearings c0 61 on its stem or how and elongated shaft or axle E, and a roller, 1), removable from said shaft, as described, whereby it is adapted to be placed at different heights.

DONALD A. McDONALD.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM W. DODGE, WALTER S. DODGE. 

